The 5 most important electronic marketing practices

The importance of electronic marketing keeps growing, as more people move online to research and find products and services, and to spend their leisure time gaming, communicating and connecting with others. The five practices below will go a long way to ensuring your SMS and email campaigns achieve great things for your organisation.

1. Give new subscribers a welcome message

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking your new subscribers are just like everyone else on your list. They're not! They've taken the time to say “yes, I want to receive information from you”, and they're expectantly waiting for their first email or SMS. Make that first message count: a special welcome reaffirming the benefits of being on your list, with some valuable information or a special offer as a reward for signing up. Tell them how to get in touch, and include links to your website and the special‑interest areas of your site. A new SMS subscriber should also receive confirmation that they've signed up, and their first SMS soon after registering — demonstrating the value your messages will provide. Be as helpful and engaging as possible, and your new subscriber will look forward to each message.

2. Tailor your message to segments of your subscribers

Addressing subscribers by name is a good start to personalising your messages — but studies have shown targeted emails outperform untargeted broadcasts by nearly four to one. Group your contacts into categories and use your demographic information so you can easily send tailored messages to people with particular interests, demographics or locations.

A great example of SMS personalisation I experienced was a message from Optus announcing that I could ring Germany over Christmas, with the per‑minute rate. Optus had obviously used my calling history and noticed I'd previously called Germany around Christmas. Such a targeted message is much more likely to trigger a favourable response — and I did call Germany on my mobile. Without that SMS I'd probably have waited until I got home, thinking it would be cheaper. A generic “cheaper overseas rates this Christmas” message would not have had the same impact.

3. Encourage your contacts to forward your message

Research has shown the vast majority of internet users share email content with friends, family and associates, and that most forward emails to several other recipients. It's very easy for people to forward your message — and they're most likely to do so when you provide great content or offers. Offering a gift when contacts forward your message is a great way to encourage this, but make sure any referral program is easy to manage. Don't be afraid to ask for referrals — and when you receive one via an existing contact, send a message thanking them.

4. Keep your branding and style in sync

Provide a consistent image of your brand — a basic marketing tenet. Your email campaigns should look like your website, and your SMS and email messages should sound like they've come from your business. If you need help achieving a consistent look and feel in your HTML emails, eNudge can provide a professionally designed template to use for each campaign. As a minimum, include your business's logo in your email messages.

5. Analyse the results of your campaigns

eNudge lets you easily track and report on your campaigns — how many messages were opened and by whom, which bounced, and how many click‑throughs you received and from whom. This data helps you generate leads and learn more about your subscribers. Imagine you run an online maternity‑wear business and your email tracks a link to special nursery wall pictures. You could send a follow‑up to everyone who clicked that link, with an offer to personalise the pictures with their child's name, encouraging an immediate purchase.

You should also compare results over time, so you can identify and reuse your best‑performing subject‑line styles, offers and content.

Heather Maloney
eNudge — the nudge they need!
January 2007